Cover for caskets or vaults



June 12, 1934. A sco 1,963,002

COVER FOR GASKETS OR VAULTS Filed July '7, 1953 INVENTOR Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in burials and consists in a burial in which the buried body is protected from agencies of decay and dissolution, so that the body will remain intact through greatly prolonged intervals of time.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which is shown a fragmentary, isometric view of a burial including a vault (within which a corpse is contained) and a protecting envelope surrounding the vault. The illustration is in some measure diagrammatic.

Referring to this drawing, a body 1 lies within a casket 2, and the casket in turn is enclosed in a vault 3. The vault may be understood to be made of sheet steel, shaped and welded at the seams. It is essentially a sheet-steel box. Such a vault is in all respects but one the most satisfactory sort of vault that can be provided: it is rigid and strong and of relatively small weight; it is inexpensive; but sheet steel is subject to corrosion and to most rapid deterioration when buried in moist ground. The invention consists in an envelope surrounding the buried vault, shielding it from the access of moisture, with the consequence and effect that the chief and indeed the only serious disadvantage that a sheet-steel vault possesses is overcome, and the vault is rendered serviceable with far greater measure of satisfaction and success.

The envelope that I provide is formed of fabric impregnated and coated with a viscous and chemically inert fluid, which ordinarily will be a heavy hydrocarbon; for example, paraffin asphalt. The fabric may be coarse-woven jute or bagging. The envelope is formed in two pieces: a lower 4, which I term a bag, and an upper 5, which I term a cap. The lower piece is a bag in that, underlying the floor of the vault and surrounding the sides, at its upper margin it is drawn in to overlie to greater or less extent the top of the vault. The upper piece is a cap in that it is applied after the lower piece has been brought to position upon the vault, and its margin overlies the drawn-in margin of the lower piece.

In making burial the vault is brought to place at the bottom of the grave and within the bag. The upper margin of the bag is then drawn in and brought to position upon the upper surface of the vault. The cap piece then is applied, and the grave is filled. The weight of the filled-in earth will closely compress the overlapped layers of fabric upon the rigid structure of the vault and will form an impervious, hermetically tight seam between the margins of the two pieces of impregnated fabric. The impregnated fabric itself will be water-tightand airtight and durable in such a situation for long intervals of time, and the seam so formed between the component pieces will be no less secure and durable.

Manifestly the envelope will be effective, to prevent from processes of corrosion and decay vaults formed of materials other than steel; and it will be understood that, while in the foregoing specification steel is mentioned as the material of which the vault is formed, it is mentioned as the usual and preferred material; vaults formed of perishable materials generally are contemplated.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for effecting subterranean burial consisting of a container and a two-piece envelope about the container, such envelope including a bag gathered above and a cap overlying the gathered rim of the bag, bag and cap being formed of fabric impregnated with viscous and chemically inert material, the whole adapted to be buried underground, and the cap being adapted by the weight of the superposed earth when burial has been effected to be pressed into hermetically tight union upon the underlying bag material.

2. A cover for a casket or burial case consisting of two parts, both parts formed of pliant, impervious sheet material, one part adapted to envelope the casket or burial case in bag-like manner, and the other adapted in cap-like manner to overlie the mouth of the first part when in place upon the casket or burial case, and adapted by the weight of the earth in a burial to be pressed into hermetically tight union upon the underlying first part.

3. A two part outer covering for a casket or burial case, the parts being formed of pliant, impervious sheet material comprising a fabric impregnated with an asphaltic compound, one part enveloping the casket or burial case in baglike manner and covering the bottom, side, and end walls of the casket or case, and the other part covering in cap-like manner the top of the casket or case and overlying the first part along the sides and ends thereof when in place upon the casket or burial case, and adapted by the weight of the earth in a burial to be pressed into hermetically tight union upon the underlying first part.

ALLISON F. H. SCOTT. 

